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Pennsylvania birth certificates

Update your name
Limited
Gender markerThe sex or gender field (M, F, or X) printed on an ID document or stored in an agency's record.
LimitedM or F with a letter from a doctor

If you were born in Pennsylvania, you can change the gender on your birth certificate to male or female with a notarized form and a letter from your physician saying you have had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition. Surgery is not required. X is not available. Changing the name requires a court order. The fee is $20 and processing takes about 20 weeks.

Main cost
$20
Apply
By mail
Typical wait
about 20 weeks

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

This applies only if you were born here. Birth certificates follow your birth state, not where you live now. Choose your birth state

On this page
  1. How it works
  2. Steps
  3. Costs and fee waivers
  4. Forms
  5. Requirements
  6. Minors
  7. After you finish
  8. Tips
  9. Laws and other guides
  10. Sources

How it works

The Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, updates birth records of people born in Pennsylvania. If you were born in another state, follow that state's rules.

To change the gender, send the Request to Modify an Adult's Birth Record (signed in front of a notary) with a letter from your physician on letterhead. The Department's sample letter asks the physician to give their license number and state that you have "had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition to the new gender of" male or female, under penalty of perjury. "Appropriate clinical treatment" is decided by your physician; it does not mean surgery.

To change the name on the certificate, include a certified court order. You can change name and gender in the same request.

Steps

  1. Get the physician's letter[2][1]

    Ask the physician who treats you for gender transition (for example, whoever prescribes your hormones) to sign the Department's template on their letterhead. It must be a physician with a medical license number.

  2. Complete the adult modification form and have it notarized[1]

    Fill out HD002292, sign Part 6 in front of a notary, and attach a copy of your photo ID.

  3. Mail it with the $20 fee[1]

    Make a check or money order payable to "VITAL RECORDS" for $20 per certificate and mail everything to:

    Pa. Department of Health, Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries, ATTN: Birth Registry, 555 Walnut St., 6th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1934.

    Cost
    $20 certified birth certificate after the modification (each)

  4. Wait about 20 weeks[4]

    The Department lists about 20 weeks for adult modifications with complete information, longer if anything is missing.

    Time
    about 20 weeks

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[1][3]

The modification form offers a fee waiver only for armed forces members and veterans (and spouses). Separate fee-waived applications exist for ordinary copies for people experiencing homelessness, youth in foster care or leaving incarceration, and people affected by opioid use disorder; they do not appear to apply to modifications.

WhatCostNotes
Certified birth certificate after the modification (each)[1]$20Free for members and veterans of the U.S. armed forces and their spouses (check the box on the form).

More detail

Forms2 forms: HD002292

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

HD002292Request to Modify an Adult's Birth Record (age 18 and above)Required

How to fill it out

  • Part 2: include a photocopy of a valid government photo ID. If mailing, the address on your ID must match the address in Part 1; if you have no photo ID, send two documents showing your name and address.
  • Part 5: fill in only what you are changing. For gender, check the box under "Gender designation (if different than sex value)". Only male and female are offered. For a name change, write the new name exactly as on your court order.
  • Part 6: do not sign until you are in front of a notary. Many banks and public libraries notarize for free or a small fee.
  • Part 7: attach the physician's letter (and the certified court order if you are changing your name).

Open HD002292Official Spanish version[1]

Gender Reassignment Sample Letter Template (physician's letter)Required

How to fill it out

Give this template to your physician. It must be printed on the physician's letterhead, include their license number and issuing state or country, and be signed.

Open the form[2]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
Your birth must be registered in Pennsylvania. Where you live now does not matter.[1][3]
Age
The adult form is for 18 and older. Separate forms exist for teens (14 to 17) and preadolescent children (7 to 13), filed by a parent or guardian.
How long it takes

About 20 weeks from when the Department receives a complete request.

MinorsA parent or guardian uses the Request to Modify a Teenage Child's Birth Record (14 to 17) or a Preadolescent Child's Birth Record (7 to 13).

A parent or guardian uses the Request to Modify a Teenage Child's Birth Record (14 to 17) or a Preadolescent Child's Birth Record (7 to 13). Requirements differ from the adult form; A4TE reports the preadolescent form needs no medical documentation. Call Vital Records to confirm before filing.

[3][5]
After you finishUse the new certificate to update records that ask for it (for example, school or employment files).

Use the new certificate to update records that ask for it (for example, school or employment files). The U.S. passport sex marker currently cannot be changed regardless of your birth certificate.

Tips1 tip from people who have done this
  • Send the completed physician template exactly as provided; letters missing the license number are a common reason for delay.
Laws and other guides1 other guide

Other trusted guides

Sources

5 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Request to Modify an Adult's Birth Record, HD002292 (REV 04/21)Pennsylvania Department of Health, Form. accessed
    “If you are requesting a gender designation other than the subject's sex to be displayed on the birth certificate, please submit a letter from the attending medical physician who is providing the appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition.”
  2. Gender Reassignment Sample Letter TemplatePennsylvania Department of Health, Form. accessed
    “has had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition to the new gender of male / female”
  3. Vital Records formsPennsylvania Department of Health, Official page. accessed
  4. Processing TimesPennsylvania Department of Health, Official page. accessed
    “Adult (Age 18 Years Old and Above): Approximately 20 weeks”
  5. Pennsylvania Identity DocumentsAdvocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed